Emergency Shelter Programs

Severe Weather Shelters will close 1/21/2025 at 12 p.m.

As forecasted temperatures improve, Washington County will close severe weather shelters 1/21/2025 at noon. Until inclement weather shelters close, unhoused people seeking shelter should present in person at the locations listed below:

• Beaverton Community Center, 12350 SW 5th St\
  • Accessible via TriMet route numbers 52, 76, and 78
  • Shelter Operator: Just Compassion
• Blanton Street Building, 20665 SW Blanton St
  • Accessible via TriMet route number 57
  • Shelter Operator: Project Homeless Connect

A huge thank you to our shelter operators, Project Homeless Connect, Just Compassion and Open Door HousingWorks staffing support, who have dedicated many hours to preparation, staffing shelters, coordination meetings, transportation and more over the last week. Without them, these life-saving shelters would not be possible.

We would also like to thank our outreach partners at Open Door, Greater Good Northwest, New Narrative, Forest Grove Foundation, Project Homeless Connect, IRCO, HomePlate, and Just Compassion for connecting with unsheltered individuals, providing information, and transportation to shelter.

With the support of our partners, we served between 43-68 people on any given day through our severe weather shelter and anticipate serving as many as 70 people tonight.

While temperatures are forecasted to improve, please continue to check on your neighbors. If you encounter someone whose life appears to be in danger, call 9-1-1. Otherwise, if you see someone about whom you are concerned during cold weather call the police non-emergency number at 503-629-0111 and request a welfare check.

Washington County will continue to provide over 400 beds of shelter to people experiencing homelessness. To get on the waitlist for shelter, call Community Connect at 503-640-3263 or email [email protected].

Background

Prior to 2021, funding for emergency shelter in Washington County was extremely limited. Shelter was only available in Washington County for adults experiencing homelessness at rotating locations during the harsh winter months, with no year-round options available for individuals (and few options for families).

Thanks to increased funding from the voter-approved Supportive Housing Services measure and Governor Kotek's state of emergency related to unsheltered homelessness through Executive Order (EO) 23-02 new resources have come online to increase services for people experiencing homelessness.

Service expansion for unhoused people is rapidly growing as the County threads together existing resources with a significant increase in funding provided by the regional voter-approved Supportive Housing Services measure. With these new and existing resources, Washington County offers over 430 shelter beds/units.

Washington County funded shelters provide a low barrier steppingstone that can offer that initial stabilization, as our shelter guests move towards long-term housing solutions. From July 2022 to June 2023 alone, Washington County supported almost 1,400 individuals moving from homelessness into stable housing. Some of these individuals accessed shelter during that journey and others were able to transition directly into long-term housing.

Shelter Overview

Shelter and access center programs act as the “front door” of our homeless system of care. They provide emergency services including hygiene, nutrition, and safe sleep, while also helping to connect families and individuals to housing, employment and supportive case management.

There are several shelter models:

• Bridge shelters: private shelter rooms for families and people with disabling conditions
• Congregate shelters: emergency shelter with shared living and sleeping accommodations
• Alternative shelters: such as safe rest pods or pallet homes
• Youth shelters: for unaccompanied youth under 18
• Winter and Severe Weather Shelters: added emergency shelter capacity during winter and weather events

See map below of existing and future shelters in Washington County.

To access emergency shelters please contact Community Connect at 503-640-3263 or work with your case manager at one of these partner organizations.

Safe Parking Program

Our partners from the City of Beaverton and Just Compassion of East Washington County offers individuals or families a safe and legal place to park their vehicle, while also providing access to sanitation services and consultations with case managers.

Severe Weather Shelters

In the event of severe weather conditions, additional shelter capacity is added throughout the County to ensure that everyone can come inside, and no-one is turned away during extreme weather events such as freezing temperatures and heat waves.